Rim of the Pit : A RH Mystery by Hake Talbot

Author:Hake Talbot
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781257198542
Publisher: Lulu.com
Published: 2011-03-31T16:00:00+00:00

XIV

The Road to Nowhere

In many cases of possession the first symptoms occur during sleep.—REV. JOHN L. NEVIUS, D.D. Demon Possession

IF THEY WERE dealing with a living murderer at all, he had either changed his clothes—or had not worn any!

Mr. Kincaid did not find the idea to his liking. Yet once it had suggested itself there was escape from it. Nothing that did not fly could have crossed the belt of unbroken snow that surrounded Cabrioun. The house itself had been thoroughly searched. Put together, those facts meant beyond any possible question that only six living beings could have killed Irene Ogden: Rogan himself, Jeff, Ambler, Vok, Barbara—and Sherry. All of them, except Sherry, had been together in the hall while the murder was being committed. None of them, except Sherry, had any chance to change clothes or bathe after the door had been broken open. Rogan even had a distinct recollection of each pair of hands, held in a strong light and obviously free from blood: Barbara’s, tiny and pink, lifted as if to ward off attack when the circle of Jeff’s torch had found her on their arrival; Ambler’s hands, white, small-boned, aristocratic, caught for an instant in the beam of Rogan’s flash and silhouetted against the blackness of the hall outside Irene Ogden’s door; Vok’s deft fingers, bathed in light as he probed with his match at the keyhole; Jeff’s great hands lighting the lantern in the storeroom.

Sherry had been naked at the moment of the murder. She had bathed at a most unlikely hour. The explanation she had given of that in advance proved nothing. She might have taken advantage of an established custom in building her murder plan. When Rogan had entered her room in the dark, almost her first words had warned him against striking a light. That was natural enough, but it might mean she had not had time to examine her body in a mirror and make sure no stains had been overlooked.

Yes, there was no dodging the fact. No one could have come to Cabrioun or gone out of it without leaving a track, and of the six people in the house Sherry alone could have cleansed herself of blood.

New facts kept linking on with an alarming plausibility. The phantom had spoken French—so did Sherry. She could almost certainly manage a Provençal accent well enough to fool any one of the party. Experience with many séances might have supplied the technical knowledge she needed to simulate her father’s specter. The ‘voice’ on the lake could have been a bold-faced lie to provide atmosphere. Furthermore, it would probably be easy to find a motive. Even if no one had cared enough about Irene Ogden to kill her, her money provided a strong incentive. The Ogdens had adopted Sherry, so she would probably inherit a large share of her stepmother’s estate.

One point remained in her favor. Vok had examined the house for a hidden door, and Rogan did not believe the conjurer had missed one.

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